#3.) History with Naomichi Marufuji
Itami’s greatest partner and rival happens to be none other than the NOAH legend Naomichi Marufuji. They’ve teamed together and won the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships, while also fighting against each other for the GHC Jr. Heavyweight titles and the GHC Heavyweight titles.
They essentially defined each other’s careers in NOAH and it was clear that with Kenta Kobashi’s health issues, they needed to elevate new stars. Mitsuharu Misawa would put the title on himself to help draw people, but Misawa was far past his prime and was not in a good condition.
Marufuji and Kenta’s matches would garner critical acclaim from the wrestling media in Japan, with some of their bouts being named Match of the Year. They’ve had wars with and against each other.
Next Page: 5 things you didn’t know about Hideo Itami
